The MARQ is in luck. It has celebrated in style its double anniversary, the 85th anniversary of its creation and the 15th anniversary of its location in its current headquarters in the Plaza del Doctor Gómez Ulla in Alicante, the former Provincial Hospital, with a warm response from the public to all the initiatives it has developed during 2017 to commemorate its existence.
In the programming of the year that has just ended, the success of the international exhibitions is particularly noteworthy, Vikings. Warriors of the North, Giants of the Sea which ran until March 2017 and Mayas. The enigma of the lost citiesThe two exhibitions, which together have managed to attract nearly 200,000 visitors thanks to the majesty of their exhibition design and the quality and beauty of the collections on display at the Alicante centre. A cultural commitment that has reinforced the MARQ's great tourist attraction.
The Museum managed to attract no less than 140,695 visitors in 2017, almost 5,000 more than the previous year. Similarly, the sites and monuments managed by the MARQ also increased their registrations. The Tossal de Manises, Lucentum in Alicante closed on 31 December with 9,316 visits, the Illeta dels Banyets in El Campello with 11,205, the Sanctuary of Pla de Petracos in Castell de Castells with 1,791, the Almohad Tower of Almudaina with 1,370 and the Cava Gran in Agres with 10,000 visitors, making a total of 174,377 citizens who enjoyed the rich cultural offer of the MARQ in 2017.
Another interesting fact, without doubt, when it comes to assessing the role of cultural dynamiser that the MARQ represents for our province, is the number of visitors to the exhibitions of its own production that it offers on tour, such as Light of Rome and Stone GuardiansThe exhibition has attracted more than 36,000 people in Elche and Crevillente in the case of the Roman skylights and in Crevillente, Calpe, La Vila and Cocentaina in the case of the Alicante castles.
Figures that endorse the interest of more than 210,000 people, 210,749 to be exact, in the cultural proposals that MARQ has developed in its 85th/15th Anniversary. Thanks to the affection and loyalty of the public who visit us, MARQ has taken on the challenge of continuing to be an avant-garde, open, educational museum for everyone.
